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- Pasig River Convergence Program is set to replace ‘old’ boats in Pasig River.
- Boat owners to face the risk of losing their jobs.
After the viral post of a woman who bypassed the Manila traffic by riding a boat in Pasig River, was revealed that the said boats might be gone because of local government programs like Tawid Ilog.
In an interview with Bandila, Nick Hinoy, who is the owner of the boat that went viral, said that it is a solution to escape the traffic in EDSA.
“Eto po talaga solusyon kasi pag iikot pa tayo sa Edsa, ma-traffic. Dito, malapit lang sa crossing ng Megamall.”
They charge Php5 per head from Guadalupe to the other side of the river, which is a part of Mandaluyong.
A passenger shared that it’s really easy for her as she doesn’t have to go and take the longer route. “Mas madali siya. Pag-tawid ko, jan lang naman yung work ko. Kaysa iikot pa ko dun (EDSA).”
The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC), however, has a different plan. Hinoy’s boat might soon face the risk of losing his job because the agency has started the Pasig River Convergence Program, which will build new ferry stations and put new sets of modern boats to travel along the said river.
George Dela Rama, Head of Public Information, Advocacy, and Tourism Division of PRRC, said “When it comes to safety issues, when it comes to permits and all, pwede siyang masilip talaga. Pero for the meantime, mukhang maluwag pa naman ang ating mga local governments when it comes to the implementation of these Tawid Ilog Programs.”
The Pasig River Convergence Program is said to make way for the development of 17 new ferry stations on top of the existing 12.
